Mercy Focus on Haiti Immersion Experiences

Mercy Focus on Haitiprovides immersion experiences for groups of high school students, college students, and adults. Ordinarily each trip is five days in-country beginning in Port-au-Prince and moving to Gros Morne in the northwest region where Mercy Focus on Haitiministers.

To accomplish the immersion experience goals of mutual learning, service, and friendship, we spend time in-country learning about the culture and history of Haiti, engaging in activities of service to the needs of the people and interacting with the residents and the staff members of Maison Bon Samaritan, the Agronomy Program and the leaders of various Women’s groups. Also during the immersion trip the group connects with the Religious of Jesus and Mary, a religious community that has been working in the Gros Morne area for almost twenty years and with whom Mercy Focus on Haiti has been collaborating since 2012.

The video below was created by students who participated in the April 2017 Immersion Experience and shows some of the highlights of their trip.

Starting in 2015, Mercy Focus on Haiti has been taking Mercy High School groups to Gros Morne, Haiti. A group of high school students are currently on an immersion trip. Here is a reflection from the first day:

Bonswa from your favorite honorary Haitians! We’re not sure how your Good Friday began, but ours involved some party-bus karaoke-fueled by two hours worth of inadequate “sleep.” Our journey commenced, as most things in our life do, within the parking lot of Gwynedd. Our bus, driven by a very nice man by the name of Anton, arrived at the Gwynedd Mercy Academy promptly at 2 a.m. We won’t lie and say we were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, mostly because we couldn’t see in the dark of the “morning,” but we were undoubtedly more than excited. After hugs and kisses and “Don’t get malaria, we boarded our shuttle with way too many bags and began our 2-hour journey to the JFK International Airport. After some much-needed jam sessions with songs like “Eye of the Tiger,” “September,” and some “Circle of Life,” the remix, of course, our chariot arrived at the airport, and our journey officially began. Surprisingly enough, the 10 girls we brought made it through bag check, TSA, AND security with only one pat-down for Gab Greene and one bag search for Lauren Dennin, who may or may not have had to been trying to “smuggle” a clarinet overseas.Continue Reading

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Gros Morne, Haiti is located in the Northwestern portion of the Artibonite Valley.

Via car it takes approximately 5 hours to reach Gros Morne from the capital Port-au-Prince.